Slate Articles

Someone Just Paid $1.5 Million to Go to Space With Leonardo DiCaprio (VIDEO)

Slate V Staff — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:46:20 GMT

A winning bidder paid $1.5 million at Cannes to journey to space aboard a Virgin Galactic flight strapped next to Leo. Moments later another pair of seats went for $2.3 million.

Can This Chip Really Make Laptop Batteries Last 50 Percent Longer? (VIDEO)

Slate V Staff — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:15:54 GMT

Intel is expected to launch the new chipset at the Computextrade show in Taipei next month.

Lena Dunham Is Not Pleased With XXX Girls Parody (VIDEO)

Slate V Staff — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:33:00 GMT

This Ain't Girls XXX will feature Richie Calhoun and Alex Chance as Adam and Hannah, with a promise from the cast that they "tried to make it as weird as possible."

A Red Carpet for Beijing

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

Economist Dambisa Moyo snickers when she hears talk that the Chinese are trying to take over Africa. What they want, as she argues forcefully in her latest book Winner Take All, are natural resources, which are in abundant supply around the African continent.

And as Moyo tells Slate’s Jacob Weisberg, African nations that are doing business with the Chinese are getting plenty in return.

This productive engagement raises the question: Are the U.S. and its counterparts in the West missing out on a huge opportunity?

In Part 1 of our interview, Moyo explains why traditional aid to Africa doesn’t work and how Bill Gates and others could better spend their money there. And in the second segment, she discusses her long journey from childhood in Zambia to seats on the boards of Barclay’s Bank and Barrick Gold.

A Glow-in-the-Dark Cockroach and More of 2013's Best New Species (VIDEO)

Slate V Staff — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:45:00 GMT

Along with the list, the IISE pointed scientists have only discovered 20 percent of the world’s species—and set a pipe-dream goal of discovering 10 million new species in the next 50 years.

The Epic Lego Starfighter (VIDEO)

Slate V Staff — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:50:00 GMT

Lego broke its own record with the model, including more than 5 million blocks in construction.

Video by Reuters.

Microsoft Ad Uses Siri’s Voice to Make Fun of Apple (VIDEO)

Slate V Staff — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:26:30 GMT

The coup de grace is an almost $150 price difference between two comparable models, in the Windows 8 tablet's favor.

From Africa to the Board Room

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:46:16 GMT

When economist Dambisa Moyo writes about the challenges facing African nations, she draws in part on her own roots and the great distance she has traveled since growing up in Zambia in the 1970s. She left her native country midway through college and went on to pursue graduate degrees at Harvard and Oxford. She later worked at the World Bank and Goldman Sachs before joining the boards of Barclay’s Bank and the Barrick Gold, the world’s largest gold company.

As an African woman working in and around the heights of global finance, she is frequently surrounded by white men. But Moyo tells Slate’s Jacob Weisberg that she relishes the opportunity to offer her perspective, especially in when it comes to international development in Africa.

In Part 1 of our interview, Moyo explains why traditional aid to Africa doesn’t work and how Bill Gates and others could better spend their money there. Tomorrow, look out for Moyo’s take on what China’s rise means for Africa and why the U.S. should pay close attention.

Computer Models Show Allosaurus Devoured Prey Like a Falcon (VIDEO)

Slate V Staff — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:18:08 GMT

Fed into a computer, the aggregate data offered the researchers an actual picture of the ancient hunter's feeding apparatus.

Stop Aid to Africa Now

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:27:00 GMT

When President Obama visits Africa in late June, one of the main agenda items will be how the U.S. can help foster economic growth in the sub-Sahara. He may want to grab a copy of Dambisa Moyo’s book Dead Aid before he goes. A Zambian-born, Oxford-educated international economist, Moyo argues that the international aid model is broken and that aid programs actually leave recipients worse off.

Moyo recently sat down with Slate’s Jacob Weisberg to explain why aid programs don’t deliver and how people like Bill Gates could better spend their billions to make a difference in Africa.

In the days ahead, look for more of our interview with Dambisa Moyo, including her take on what China’s rise means for the rest of the world and her perspective on breaking down gender and race barriers in the world of global finance.